Process of producing a photographic reproduction for use in making bas-relief.



G. M. CARPENTIER.

PROCESS OF PRODUGING A PHOTOGRAPHIE REPRODUCTION POR USE IN MAKINGBAS RELIB' APPLICATION FILED DBO,20, 1911.

1,087,725. Patented Feb. I?, 191,

.959,11- s/g Y mmmmmmmw WWII/IWW f v-.gmone'n'nnxrun CARPENTIER, NEW remi, N. Y.

Be it known that. I, GEORGE M. CARPEN- TIER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of .New York, have invented a new and ImproiLed Process of; Producing a PhotogralliicfReprodnction 'fofQUs'e in Making Basf- QReliesof :whichthe'I ollowing is a full, clear, and'i'e'xafctx;descriptionj' ".This 'iInfention"relatesf to'ay new and improved ',proCeSgS. A forv ,producing photographic reproductions relief ofv'designs, paintings,

engravings or photographs. of any descr1p tion wit'l'tiablsolutiefidelityoffor'm and in any given size ofthe objects 'or figures the artist intended to represent.

"l erence to th f size desired for the finished plate.

'The photographic reproductions produced by this process are suitable for use in the execution in relief, of portraits, mural or ceiling decorations, for forming bas-reliefs,

chnrch'inemorials, inscriptions, etc. FromI4 thepliotdgrapliic `:reprvdctions can be made castsfintplaster 'or innieta'lor they may it 25 desiredl'be coated by a 'galvanic deposition of copperforsilier. i*

.For'the, purpose? of lexplaining the invention,"thfsa1'ewillbe:described with refaccompanying drawings, in which'- FigureA v1 represents an object or picture to bel reproduced in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a negative of such object or picture, the size desired for the finished plate. Fig. 3. represents a positive or transparency Lmade from the negative shownf'in"Fig.'l-. Fig-krepresents a sectional viewfofa composite fplate formed by the;posi'tive and negativendicated in Figs. Qand 3: *Fig-5 indicatesian' enlarged positive print-taken from'the'lsaid composite plate'.` `Fig'.'6'repres'ent`s a" negative of said enlarged print', the negative being of the Fig. 7 represents a transparency made from the negative shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 represents a sectional View of the molding plate with the bichromated gelatin film thereon. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a molding ,plate having a layer of plain gelatin beneath 'the bichroniated gelatin layer, and Fig. 10 is a sectional' v'iew of the Afinished molding plate ony any enlarged 'scales .The .obj ect or A.pictu-ref tombe repro duced indicated at A in Fig. 1 is to be examined for my: Specification of Lettersra'tent.: Applica Isin led December 20,." h Y i aya-.raoroennrmc nErizonUcrroN; ron UsE IN :MA-KING BAs- BELIEEff v l ,Patented Febgiv, 1914- in $56.911. f. L.

possible etc., which, if would mar the appearance ofthe finished plate. I take of this a negative B, Fig. 2 the size the plate is desired to be. It the object or picture 1s colored, I use an orthochromatic plate with a screen suitable to give me a negative with the color values as nearyas possible. This negative must be sharp and well contrasted and nevertheless give all the details of the picture. When the negative is finished and satisfactory, I place it in a printing frame in contact with an unexposed plate, and by artificial light give a very short exposure so as to obtain an attenuated positive or transparency. When this transparency C, Fig. 3 has been developed, fixed and washed, I plate in the washing water with it the negative, and after one or two minutes bring both plates together, lm against film, under water and place them in perfect register. D, Fig. 3, represents the composite plate thus formed. I hold them firmly m that position and let them set. This cemented plate D is then to be placed 1n an enlarging camera, and a positive print E, Fig. 5, double its size, is to betaken on developing paper. The finished print is now to be placed side byyside with the object or pic-ture to be reprodiiced, and with brush or pencil or both, I go over all that is background and cover it with a tint of black proportionate to the relief I intend to give the gures on the picture or which I judge will produce the best effect. The darker the background, the higherrelief will have the figure next to it, and inversely the figure will be depressed in the neighborhood of light colored background. When all that is to be background has been treated, the picture itself has to be examined and tinted and touched up either withpeneil or mainly with very thin transparent water colors ranging from white to crimson. This touching up for relief has to be done very sparingly and with thc greatest of care. In fact, this part of the work requires a great deal of skill and artistic taste, and it one is not proficient in that line, he would better have it done by some artist who has experience in retouching high-class photographs. Of this now finished print, I take a negative F, Fig. 6, of the exact size the finished plate is to be, and

this negative must be of`a moderate density, y

Cri

This treatment of the picture applies in all cases when the relief-tobe appears on the picture of a lighter color than the rest, as for instance for the portrait of an old lady with white hair, and dressed in a White or light colored garment, or in the case of a building of White stone or marble; but in the reverse conditions, that of a building of brown stone, or the portrait of a young person with dark hair and wearing dresses of a dark material, it is obvious that the treatment of the picture is to be reversed, the background being tinted in light color or even white, either in Whole or in part, as thel case may present itself, and the` objects forming the picture will have to be treated inversely also, and in that case, instead of taking a negative of the picture, I take areversed negative of it, either by reversing the plate in the plate holder or by using a prism in front of the lens.

I have now to describe how I make the molding plate. It has been found that a gelatin film impregnated with suitable cliemicals, suoli as potassium bichromate and sugar, when exposed to the action of sunlight passing through a photographic transparency, will be eaten into proportionately to the lights and shadows of said transparency, so as to produce a grain or pitted effect in the film. Advantage is taken of this action in the production of the molding plate. I take of Nelsons No. 2, or of Coignets gold lable gelatin one pound, soak it in eighty ounces of water, to which I add Aabout two ounces of white candy sugar, and let this soak for forty-eight hours. -After that time, the Oelatin will have absorbed the whole of the water, and the sugar Will have dissolved. I place the receptacle containing itin a water hath at a temperature of 120 Fahrenheit. vWhen melted, I divide it in two parts, each in a separate vessel. Now I take halt-an-ounce of talcuiii powder and triturate it in a mortarl with water to the consistency oi a thick paste, and I add to it enough of the dissolved and warm gelatin to make thin enough to he strained through musliii, and mix itup thoroughly With the gelatin ncontained in one of the vessels. 'Io this same vessel, I add sixty grains of potassium biehromate, and stir it up until dissolved. I take glass plates previously cleaned and place them on a slab of plate glass carefully leveled. Now I take the vessel containing the plain gelatin and pour over half of the plates enough gelatin to cover them over with pretty thick coating, conducting the fluid gelatin around the edges and corners with a glass rod. ,Now when this coating of plain. gelatin has set, I take the vessel containing the pigmented and bicliromated gelatin and pour over these plates as much as they can take without running over lthe edges and all 'over theI plainplates as well, Se I have two grades of plates, one having only one layer of bilchromated gelatin, and the other with an The first under coating of' plain gelatin. grade is to be used .tor plates having small figures, and the second grade is to be used in all cases where the figures are large enough to stand a high relief, this relief depending upon the amount of plain gelatin underlying the bichromatcd coat-ing. I leave those plates to set thoroughly on the leveled slab, and put them on edge iii a rack to dry. lVhcn dry, they can he wrapped up in black or red tissue paper, put up in a box, and placed in a. dry place, they will keep for several months ready for use. These two grades ot' plates are, shown in section in Figs. 8 and 9. In these figures, G represents the glass plate, II, Fig. 8, the layer ot' bichron'iated gelatin, and in Fig. 9, II indicates the layer of bichromated gelatin, ahd I the layer of plain gelatin. Now I have the negative l?, Fig. I made of thc light relief picture. and make with it, by Contact in the printing frame, a transparency J, Fig. 7, which, when finished and dry, l place. in a printing trame with one of the molding plaies over it. It my picture is of the dark relief sort, I use the re versed negative instead. In any case, I expose my plates in the direct rays of the sun for fit'tcen minutes in summer, and for sixty minutes in. winter, varying the time of exposure according to the month of the year, having those two extremes as a guide. I tli'en take the. exposed molding plate and place it in a tray where water is running, and leave it there until I am satisfied that the water is no longer stained by the soluble bichromate.

Fig, l0 shows the finished molding plate in which Gr indicates the glass plate and H the layer ot hichromated gelatin having the figure or other object I( innrelief. After draining, the plate may be coated with a metallic film in any suitable manner.

lVhile I have shown two embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be protected in various changes, modifications and alterations which may come within the scope ot' the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l, The process of producing a photographic reproduction for use in forming a bas-relief, which consists in making a coni-A posite formed` oi' a negative and a positive photographic reproduction of the object or picture to be simulated, taking an enlarge ment of thesaid composite, accentuating tli'e lights and shadows in the enlargement, forming a negative from the finished enlargement the exact size desired lin the fin! ished article, making atransparency from said negative, transmitting light through this transparencynnto a film impregnated with chemicals to render said film insoluble proportionately to the lights and shadows of' said transparency',and Washing said film to remove the soluble matter.

2. The process of producing a photographic reproduction for use in forming a bas-relief, which consists in making a composite formedof a negative and positive photographic reproduction of the picture or object tobe reproduced, `taking au enlarged positive on paper from the said composite, accentuating the lights and shadows on said positive, making a negative from said-positive, making a photographic transparency from said negative, subjecting a gelatin film impregnated with potassium bichromate and sugar to the action of light passing through said transparency, and washing the exposed film.

3. The process of producing a photographic reproduction for use in forming a bas-relief, which consists in making a composite negative and positive photographic reproduction of lthe object or picture to be reproduced, making an enlargement of' said photographic reproduction, accentuating the lights and shadows in said enlargement, producing a negative from said enlargement, making a photographic transparency from said negative,- exposing a film having a layer of plain gelatin, superimposed by a layer of bichromated gelatin, to the ac-.

tion of rays of light passing through said transparency, and Washing the exposed film.

4. The process of producing a photographic reproduction for use in forming a bas-relief, which consists in making a newative of the object or picture which it is ldesired to reproduce, making a positive or transparency from said negative, placing said positive and negative in register, mak-v ing an enlargement of the composite formed by the positive and negative, accentuating `the lights and shadows in said enlargement,

be, making an attenuated positive or transparency from said negative, bringing the positive and negative films into register under water, placing the composite plateformed by the negative and positive in an enlarging camera and making Ia positive print double its size on developing paper. accentuating the lights and shadows on said positive print, taking a negative of the linished print of the exact size the finished plate is to be, printing a transparency from said negative, exposing a bichromated gelatin film to the action of rays of light passing through said transparency, and Washing the exposed film.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence ot' two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE MAXIME CARPENTIER. lVitnesses PAUL FELs, MARIE E. CARPENTIER. 

